The animal grabbed the child near a campfire and the girl's parents began yelling, causing the mountain lion to drop the girl and run away, Idaho Fish and Game Regional Conservation Educator Gregg Losinski said in a statement.

The girl was unharmed and only suffered a few scratches, Losinski said, but the parents took the girl to a hospital after the attack as a precaution.

Losinski said in the statement that cougar sightings are rare and attacks are rarer, but when there are attacks cougars usually target small children. The parents had seen the mountain lion earlier in the day and Losinski said their close watch and quick thinking saved the child's life.